Conventional laptop computers generally connect to the Internet using an internal or an external modem, such as a dial-up or a cellular modem. The connection between a laptop computer and an external modem may be via network cable, USB, PCMCIA or wireless.
Despite ubiquitous connectivity available today, situations still abound where a laptop computer does not have Internet connectivity, or where a laptop computer loses Internet connectivity during an ongoing Internet session. In such situations, a user may use his cell phone as a link to connect his laptop computer to the Internet via a cellular communication network. However, using standard connection protocols, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), if a laptop computer's Internet connection is changed during an ongoing Internet session from linking to the Internet via a physical (wired) modem to linking via a wireless modem connection, or vice versa, a new IP address must be allocated. Allocating a new IP address disrupts the ongoing Internet connection session.
It would thus be of advantage if a user could use his cell phone to connect his laptop computer to the Internet in such a way that the same IP address persists when his Internet connection is handed over from a physical link to a wireless link, or vice versa, during an ongoing Internet connection session.